Ecopax LLC operates at 3600 Glover Road. A consent order and agreement signed by the company says it failed to properly monitor and control air emissions from May 2008 through May 2011, the department announced.

The company, in a statement, says the "situation never posed a health or safety risk to our community or employees."

The DEP says it reviewed records from
the company during the three-year period for which it was cited and
determined that Ecopax violated the conditions of its plan approval
permit by failing to maintain the minimum operating temperature of a
regenerative thermal oxidizer, which is used to control air pollution.

The
department also determined that while the oxidizer was in operation,
some components were working improperly. During an inspection of the
facility, it was determined that the oxidizer was turned off
while manufacturing was in process.

“Violations like this add to
the overall breakdown of adequate air quality control measures," Mike
Bedrin, director of the department's Northeast Regional Office in
Wilkes-Barre, said in a statement. “A company must make sure that all
equipment is operating efficiently in order to reduce pollution."

Ecopax, in a statement, said the equipment operating error occurred during its start-up phase.

"This operating error was found in a DEP inspection on May 18, 2011," the statement reads. "We corrected this error the next day and have operated well within DEP guidelines since that time.

"We apologize for any concern the DEP announcement may have caused and we want to assure everyone that we have committed significant resources -– especially technical staff -– over the last two and a half years to ensure all parts of our manufacturing operation comply with requirements set forth by the DEP," the statement adds.

Ecopax says on its website it has grown into one of the leading manufacturers of single-use takeout containers since opening in 2007.